Mark Onisk is Chief Content Officer at Skillsoft
What drives employees to continue learning?
Learning never ends. Learning is not something that stops. It continues to be a part of one’s life, driven by the desire to adapt and grow in a constantly changing environment. Recognising the fact that everyone can be a lifelong student is essential to staying competitive, especially as the age AI disruption continues to progress.
Recent research shows that AI skills are not only needed by tech companies. Organisations in almost every industry see the value of equipping employees with the most up-to-date skills and capabilities. HR leaders that invest in closing skills gaps and creating opportunities for their employees to use these skills on a daily basis will be the ones who thrive in 2025.
In reality, research has shown that employees with access to upskilling can bring massive benefits to employers.
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Be prepared to face workplace challenges
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Building stronger relationships with colleagues
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More confidence to tackle new challenges
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Improved creativity and problem solving skills
How can HR leaders create a culture that encourages continuous learning in order to engage and equip their employees? We will examine some common pitfalls and show how a holistic training approach can encourage employees’ creativity and curiosity while driving business success.
What works at the workplace
Our latest Workplace challenges and preparedness survey shows that organisations can help their employees develop crucial skills by providing training tailored to the role they play (35%), regular and updated training sessions in order to stay up to date with industry best practices (33%), or an increase of mentoring and coaching opportunities (32%).
HR leaders must actively encourage managers to dedicate time to L&D and ensure that it is adapted to the needs of each employee. Leaders must actively encourage and show the value of this activity to their business. Line managers can weave relevant training into direct reports’ personal growth plans by having conversations with their employees about perceived skill gaps.
Promote a culture for innovation
Only 6% of respondents to the survey said that their managers do not value training. Only 20% of respondents said that their employers do not offer any training, which can have a major impact on skill development and progression. Leaders can encourage employees to learn by creating an environment that values curiosity and experimentation. Leaders can encourage the use of innovative methods, such as instructor-led classes, GenAI-powered simulators and innovation labs. This will make learning more interactive and fun, leading to unexpected and creative outcomes.
Stay up to date with the latest technologies
Business leaders who offer innovative and effective training to their employees will likely be the ones leading the pack among competitors as technologies like AI and machine-learning develop. Professionals who are proficient with ML and AI will be in high demand.
Our research reveals that despite this demand, less than one third of employees in technical positions (31%) said they had received new training, upskilling or access to new technology, such as GenAI, to reach their professional goals. HR leaders who keep abreast of technological advances can ensure that their L&D programs remain relevant, and reassure their employees that their training is worthwhile – making them more skilled and likely to advance.
HR leaders can supercharge the skills of their employees by implementing tailored training programmes as part of an innovation-driven culture. Leaders can equip their workforce for future challenges and opportunities by tapping into the innate curiosity of humans and showing them that investing in themselves is not only acceptable but encouraged. This can help ensure that employees stay on top of the latest trends in their field, from communication styles to compliance, and feel more satisfied.
The original version of this article What motivates employees for continuous learning? appeared first on Human Resources News.
